There is a lot of confusion around obesity and diabetes but here are some statistics to make you scratch your head a little further.
According to Colette Heimowitz, MS; research has been unable to identify which factors have contributed to the epidemics of diabetes and obesity.
- Potential drivers of obesity and diabetes from 1973 to 2010:
- Daily caloric intake was up 6.5% (doesn’t seem like a lot)
- % of calories from carbohydrates were up 13%
- % of calories from protein was down 3.6%
- % of calories from fat was down 10%
Total sugar intake was up 15%
High fructose corn syrup intake was up 960%!!! (WHOA!!!)
Household television viewing was up 34%
Regular exercise was up 2%
What Happened?
The quantity and quality of our foods decreased a lot during this time period. It got even worse from 2010 – 2022. As a health coach, I don’t give recommendations but understanding how the body burns or stores carbohydrates points to eating less carbohydrates and more protein and fat. We are all bio-individuals so what is comfortable for one, is less comfortable for others.
The body stores carbohydrates as fat in the form of triglycerides. We would do well to burn off those excess carbohydrates by not eating so many carbohydrates in the first place.
There are many dietary choices that work, they all work short term but none of them work long term. Reducing carbohydrates seems to work better than other formats. Removing sugars and grains helps tremendously with inflammation and pain in many participants.
Low Carb Approach
Someone who is more active, can eat and burn off more carbohydrates than someone who sits in class, works in an office, or is inactive most of the day. So, there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation. Each person has to decide how much carbohydrate they need. The more overweight a person is, the less carbohydrate they should eat on a daily basis. Some diets, like the carnivore diet, are extremely low and these diets are beneficial, at least in the short term, in helping obese and type II diabetic clients get back to a healthy weight quicker than a client that continues to eat a high carbohydrate diet.
First Step
Eliminate all packaged foods and shift towards whole foods from the outside of the store. We’ve all heard this before so it’s nothing new. A client can find whole foods in the produce, meat, and dairy sections of the supermarket. Locally grown produce, meat, and dairy are in good supply at most famer’s markets. In doing this, a client is not in the candy or soda aisle at all and the only aisle they would typically need to go down would be the spice aisle and the aisle with the coffee and tea.
Plenty of carbohydrates are in the produce section so reminding a client that they should limit how many high sugar fruits they eat and increase good quality protein and fat. Vegetarians and vegans can find plenty of choices but omnivores and carnivores will have an easier time. Even if it is just for a few weeks or a few months. People report feeling many times better when the inflammation from too many carbohydrates starts to subside.
Next Step
Cut carbohydrates further to accelerate weight loss until the client is close to or has achieved their goals. Add good quality carbohydrates back to the diet while closely monitoring the scale to determine what their carbohydrate balance is. How much is too much? How much is not enough? It will be different for each person.
Final Step
The final step is when a client has reached their goal and they know what their carbohydrate balance is and they are able to maintain their weight and blood sugar.
Written by Dale A. Stiles for daleastiles.com on December 30, 2022
